I Remixed Everyone's Favorite Mask and Now She's a Keeper

At this point I'm sure you're all familiar with bentonite clay mask's. Everyone is always up in a frenzy about how amazing this product is at clearing your skin, and as much as I wanted to like it, I have to be honest and say it didn't really do much for me the first few times I tried it out. But one thing to know about me is, I hate to be wasteful. Even if this huge tub only cost about 7 bucks, you won't catch me throwing it out.

So I got creative.

(side note: I hear this makes a great hair cleanser too but I have yet to try that out)

I had some activated charcoal lying around the house (I use it for natural teeth whitening and to clean my fruits and veggies--clearly I love multipurpose products) and knowing it's amazing benefits for the skin, I decided to put on my lab coat and play Chemist. I mixed about 3 tbs of bentonite clay with about 1 tsp of activated charcoal, but I didn't stop there because well, to be honest a part of me felt 5 years old again just mixing whatever I could get my hands on. Except this was the grown up version, the I know a thing or two about skincare so let's just try something different version.

Knowing how drying it would be to combine these two detoxifying ingredients, I thought let's add some m o i s t u r e.

I have a ton of face oils and serums. A ton. But this time around it was Kenni's Skin Candy by Goode Skin that reigned supreme. I love that this serum is a blend of some of my OG favorites like rosehip, tea tree, and jojoba oil. Just like that, a dropper full made it's way into my skin purifying concoction.

Last but not least came the apple cider vinegar (I use this as a daily toner too). ACV has a ton of antibacterial and cleansing properties that make it the perfect addition for someone with acne-prone or oily skin. If your skin runs more on the dry side, try adding something more gentle like rose water.

Apply to clean skin, leave on for about 15 minutes, remove with a warm, damp wash cloth, and you're set. You'll be a little red afterwards but that'll go away. Oh! You're face will also pulsate. DON'T BE ALARMED. If you have really sensitive skin and you're nervous about the pulsing sensation, just leave the mask on for about 5-10 minutes and rinse off.

Winter's tend to be brutal to my skin and this little homemade concoction has been a lifesaver.

Why It works:

Bentonite clay has a negative electrical charge which draws impurities out of the skin and lowers inflammation, it also exfoliates which helps with treating acne scars.

Activated charcoal acts like a magnet and sucks dirt, oil, and other impurities out of your pores leaving your skin smooth and pores visibly smaller.

Kenni's Skin Candy by Goode Skin is awesome because not only is it packed with skin nourishing oils, but it also contains salicylic acid and tea tree oil, two ingredients known for their strong acne fighting power.

Apple cider vinegar is loaded with alpha hydroxy acids (AHA's) which exfoliate the skin, and like I mentioned before, it has antibacterial properties which make it a great acne treatment. Regular use will also lessen the visibility of post inflammatory hyperpigmentation.